Rourkela, Feb. 3: Police today arrested four persons in connection with kidnapping a 25-year-old woman from Jharsuguda.

The abductors were planning to leave the state.

The police nabbed the main accused, Manoj Patra, 35, and his other accomplices - Pradip Kissan, 23, the driver of the vehicle in which they were travelling, Thimo Oram, 29, and Nurital Kailash, 34, and rescued the woman.

The cops arrested the abductors during their routine vehicle check-up on the inter-state border between Odisha and Jharkhand. They found a Bolero with five persons, including the woman, who raised an alarm that led to the arrests.

Speaking to The Telegraph, inspector in charge of Bisra police station Prabhat Biswal said: "The woman was abducted today when she was going to pay visit to a Durga temple in Jharsuguda town. The four men blocked her way and forcibly dragged her into the car, which was also seized."

" The abductors were planning to move towards Ranchi before we got hold of them," said Biswal.

Biswal said Patra, the main accused, was a married man. "From our preliminary investigations, we have learnt that Patra works with the National Institute of Malaria Research in Rourkela and is married twice and has children from both the marriages," said Biswal.

The inspector also said Patra told them that he had fallen for the woman, who, however, turned down his proposal. Patra, Oram and Kailash are friends and all belong to Jharsuguda town.

However, it could not be ascertained as to why they were taking the woman to Ranchi. Acting on a tip-off, a police team from Jharsuguda has left for Rourkela to bring back the rescued woman.

Smugglers held

Officials of the Rairangpur wildlife division today arrested four poachers and confiscated an elephant tusk weighing around 2kg from them in Baripada. The tusk is believed to be of a 10-year-old elephant, said experts.

The arrested have been identified as Sundarmohan Marandi, 35, of Badhusahi village, Harish Mandal, 37, of Kainipur, Bajan Murmu, 35, of Sarasposhi village and Sukendar Lohar, 22, of Chandandihi village.

Wildlife officials intercepted them when they were going to Bangiriposhi bus stand to deliver the tusk. The motorcycle on which they were transporting the tusk has been seized as well.